Della's K9 Connection

02/22/2023

Thank you Southern Alberta and Southern Saskatchewan area for the years of service.

I have been blessed to be a part of your and your pups journey.

To sum up eight years would be to say that there is dogs and owners of all spectrums and here is my last piece of advice:

- start teaching rules the second you bring a dog/puppy home

- too much space left for unsupervised puppy equals surprises on your floor

- be consistent, dogs/puppies will thrive

- it's okay for your dog not to want to play with others, stop forcing them

- have your dog leashed in leashed areas

- before you rescue do your homework on the breed and stop adopting simply because you feel bad for the dog

- it's okay to say No to your dog, but remember to immediately tell your dog What you want them to do, if they do it then remember to praise

- stop letting your kids kiss, crawl on, drag around by the tail, your dog, bites have ranged from red marks to surgery, why play Russian roulette with your children?

- stop making it your dogs job to teach your kids to leave them alone, that's your job to teach both how to act with eachother

- it's okay to say No to someone who thinks they can touch your dog

- YAYABA - You Are Your Animals Best Advocate

- a well socialized dog is a dog that will be okay is any socializing situation

- catch your dog being good rather then focusing on the negative

- puppies should be in our visual 100% of the time and if you cant watch put them in a controlled environment such as a play yard or kennel

- clean up after your animal while on walks

- crates are a wonderful thing

- work with your dog to insure they have a reliable recall, this takes time and patience

- Any dog training tool can cause harm if used incorrectly

- train your small dog as if they weighted 150 lbs

- and last have fun with your dog, make training fun!

As of February 28, Della's K9 Connection will be closing. This was a decision that was not taken lightly but is needed.

Thanks for all your support and your loyalty.

Sincerely,
Della Burkitt
Della's K9 Connection

11/16/2022

Good morning everyone and everydog!
I am still training however due to my work load I am limited in the amount of clients I can help. I am currently going through my waitlist in the next couple of days and will be booking. This will take my schedule to being full until February 2023. Thank you for your patience, it is greatly appreciated.

Della Burkitt

09/25/2022

Vibrant, healthy, caring communities – today, tomorrow, forever!

09/17/2022

Accepting previously loved items to add to our garage sale selection 🐾💕🐾 Call or text 403-504-3450 to arrange pick up or drop off - whatever is most convenient for you!

09/12/2022

Ever want to be a therapy team? Want to know what their super powers are? This is a wonderful opportunity to find out!

Are you interested in becoming a therapy dog team? It’s a very rewarding experience.

09/06/2022

I am fully booked with private training until mid November. If you are looking for training classes, I fully recommend Sit, Stay, Come & Play If you would like to be put on my wait list, let me know!

Woofs & Wags,
Della Burkitt

09/01/2022

Take today and catch your dog being good!
Sometimes when we are frustrated, confused, or even tired, we tend to ONLY catch our dogs doing "bad things!"

Today, change the narrative!

08/23/2022

UPDATE: ADOPTION FEE HAS BEEN LOWERED

Hello, my name is Roxy and I am up for adoption. I am a 7-month-old, Female, Kangal Shepherd Cross and was just recently spayed. My home I am currently in rescued me at a super young age from a bad situation and have done a good job to help me get away from any danger. Now that I am 7 months and have been spayed it is time for me to find my Fur-Ever home. My fur-ever home that would be the best ideal would be a farm or acreage where there is room to me to roam by myself and someone familiar with my breed as I am genetically born to guard. My home has put me through some training and thanks to them I know my basic commands and training has helped me with not being so insecure and timid around strangers. When I get scared I have a big bark that may scare you and I have learnt that I am much larger then others and use that as a tool to get and do what I want. My tools I use are barking, jumping, and level 1 to Level 2 bite. Additional information about Level 1 & 2 is in the photos below.

This is something you must be okay working with. I do have a jealous streak and will redirect on my canine stepsister because it is my humans, my bed, anything that I think is mine and mine alone. This is why they are helping me find a home of my own. I will need training with consistency in my new home that will have the tools to helping me be an upstanding dog in the canine community. My adoption comes with a training session with my trainer to help integrate me into my new surroundings, kennel, collar, food and my favorite toys. If you believe that you fit this description 1000% and want to be my new home please message [email protected] for further information.
Adoption Fee is $200.00

08/09/2022

ARE YOU STRUGGLING WITH YOUR PUPPY OR DOG NOT LISTENING???
Go back to basics and this weeks basics are SIT!
What can your puppy/dog do with their sitting abilities?
Here is a couple of exercises to help get you in the right direction.
- Sit on First Request
- Sit Stay for 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute
- Sit while you walk around your canine in a circle
- Sit while you toss favorite toy
- Sit while toss favorite treats
- Sit while you get on your belly in-front of your dog

07/16/2022

Please keep this in mind with the extreme heat we have been experiencing. Today is no exception with the thermostat expected to reach 33 degrees. Ensure your pets have access to fresh water at all times as well, and remember that its not just dogs that are overheating, our feline freinds are at risk as well.

07/09/2022

Rogers is back up and running for DK9C!
Please phone 403.977.7009 for all your training needs!

07/09/2022

My phone is down. If you would like training please message me here!
Thanks for understanding :)

07/05/2022

Canada Day fire works and Trip is on the dock with us. He comes with us and is not stressed. There is no panting, pasing, howling, running away, fear, hiding, digging,...

How is this possible?

2 Factors come to my mind:

1. His natural temperament. I made sure my puppy had an level headed assertive disposition before adoption. I completed a volhard puppy test and my own testing and he is who I picked. He was hitting most (90%) of the markers!

2. Train, desensitize, keep consistent! This has been Trip's life journey and allows him to be with us in every situation keeping himself self regulated. With exposing him to these distractions/noises/environment and creating confidence we get the benefits shown below. Family time with us as a whole.

Picking a puppy is just as important as training! Pick the wrong puppy and it can be disasterous for both you and your future canine.

Be proactive, research your breeds and take your time! It will benefit you and your canine!

06/14/2022

Tonight was the last session for Miss Daryl. She did amazing and a huge THANK YOU to her family for keeping up with the training. Their daughter needs a BIG shout out as she has "IT" when it comes to training! I look forward to updates and more conversations.

06/09/2022

Thanks AbiK9 Training Services for the great article!
If you are wondering about socialization, this article is for you!

Socialization... it's probably not what you think it is.

Dogs go through a critical period of development that lasts roughly from 3 weeks-16 weeks of age. In this time, they're forming ideas and opinions about the world around them; good and bad. They're developing social bonds, and learning how their behaviour impacts other living creatures.

A dog that has a quality socialization program is one that will reach its fullest genetic potential.

Socialization is about giving them the tools and outlook on life to navigate through our society with minimal stress to themselves and others... now to my point.

If your entire plan for socializing your puppy is taking it to puppy classes, puppy play parties or the dog beach, you are GOING to have problems. Unfortunately, the idea that puppy-puppy or puppy-dog interactions constitute 'socialization' has been continually force fed to well-meaning, but misinformed pet professionals.

Either two things will come of such a plan...

1. Your puppy meets the wrong dog and has a bad experience. Bad experiences are just as bad as no experiences. A bad experience during the critical period can result in lasting negative impressions and behavioural problems; namely, fear and aggression.
2. Your dog has a positive experience. And that positive experience creates a positive value for other dogs. And their positive value out-competes the puppy's value in you. Doesn't sound that bad?

As it stands, the second problem is waaaay more common than the first. Right now, the issues associated with an extreme positive value in other dogs is taking up probably 70-80% of my workload. What issues are they, you ask?

- Inconsistent Recalls
- Poor Leash Walking Skills
- Reactivity (sometimes eventuating into aggression)
- What many refer to as 'selective deafness'; *Fido is perfect when it's just us, but as soon as he sees another dog...*

Just to name a few. And the thing is, most owners see all that 👆 as the problem. When in fact, it's just the various symptoms of the real problem; a poorly structured socialization program that's resulted in their dogs developing a TONNE of value in other dogs, and comparatively little in them. The owner. The one that feeds, walks, plays and loves them.

And the thing is, it's not the owner's fault. It's my own industry's. Other trainers. Well-known, well-read sciency-folk. And I don't know why other people aren't seeing the correlation. I very rarely see behavioural cases that stem from a LACK of experience, but that overwhelming stem from an extremely skewed socialization picture.

I'm sure the word 'socialization' is the problem too. It implies *social* experiences and interactions. When really we can broadly divide 'socialization' into social and environmental experiences. And of the 'social' experiences, MOST should entail NO direct interaction.

While a lot is missing from most owner's socialization programs, that's probably the biggest thing; they've never given value to themselves, particularly in the presence of other dogs. A huge part of what I do with my personal dogs is to take them around other controlled dogs, and pay them for looking at me. In their head, they're learning that other dogs are good (socialization), and that when they're around, I'm going to pay them really good stuff. Here, I'm giving myself value. I'm building the puppy's engagement in me.

Thus, what often becomes a distraction and a constant thorn in the side of obedience and manners, now becomes a cue to focus on me.

The graph below is an example of a (not very detailed) socialization plan. The exact percentages will differ between puppies a great deal, but the main point to note is that MEETING OTHER DOGS and MEETING PEOPLE constitute a tiny fraction of the whole shebang. And that ratio will stay relatively consistent across the board.

I'm not offering nor recommending any puppy classes anymore, with the exception of . I'm now offering private lesson programs which I've found to be infinitely more successful in preparing puppies for life. If you're after a class environment, I'd also recommend you check out . And for online training purposes (for my remote followers) check out by

06/09/2022

Please meet Lije and Ruby.
Mom and daughter with big hearts. These two have come along ways thanks to their owners being on top of training. I may train for an hour but it is the owners responsibility to keep training up during the week time. Thank you for helping your pups!

06/05/2022

Puppy Play Time Dates and Times are now LIVE on our website!
https://www.dk9c.com/play-times

Not your typical puppy play time, this is were you get to bring your puppy and let it play while I educate you while getting a trainers perspective at puppy behavior, different playing styles, what type of play is acceptable and what is not, how a puppy's temperament plays a part and what can you do...

06/05/2022

😍 TIME FOR PUPPY PLAY TIME

PUPPY PLAY TIME at DK9C is different then any other!
YOU STAY, I EDUCATE!

Not your typical puppy play time, this is were you get to bring your puppy and let it play while I am present and allow you to have an insider look at puppy behavior, different playing styles, what type of play is acceptable and what is not, how a puppy's temperament plays a part and what can you do as a puppy owner to advocate for your puppy is any situation.

Question period is always a big event and how cool is it to get to ask a trainer about anything!?!

For more information (DATES,TIMES,COST) or to register please visit my website:
https://www.dk9c.com/play-times